The Lake Winnebago System has an abundance of popular fish to catch, such as Bluegill, Walleye, and Bass. The spring fishing season on this system is looked forward to by both local and visiting anglers who know just how good the fishing can be. The information in this article will teach you about fish movements throughout the spring and the fishing techniques that work best for me on the Lake Winnebago System.
A local favorite, Bluegill, are known for fighting hard despite being a smaller variety of fish. They’re also known for being one of the most delicious fish out there! These fun and tasty fish are one I get hundreds, maybe even thousands of questions about on social media every spring. The two most important things to cover about this topic are bait presentation and location.
For bait presentation, the biggest things I’ve found to make a difference are bobber size/sensitivity and fishing line size. I use some of the smallest bobbers I’ve been able to find, and even the lightest bite is easily spotted because the bobber requires so little pressure to pull under. For line size, I stick with 2-3 lb fluorocarbon. Thin line like this makes it incredibly difficult for fish to detect. This prevents fish from being spooked by seeing the line attached to your hook, and the light line is harder for them to feel when they bite.
As far as location goes, the shallow bays and channel systems are where I do best. You can’t just cast anywhere in these areas and catch tons of fish though, the fish typically relate to patches of weeds as the weeds begin to grow back in early spring. The weeds hold tiny insects that the Bluegills love to feed on, so I often find large schools of fish in these areas. When it’s early in the season and only a few patches of weeds have come up, you’re likely to find a pile of fish on the few weeds that are present. Once the fish move heavily out of the bays and into the channel systems as the water warms up, boat lifts and piers serve as excellent fish-holding structures.
One thing I can count on every spring is Walleyes moving up the Wolf River to spawn, with many of them moving down through the Fox River in Oshkosh afterward on their way out to Winnebago for the summer. Most Walleyes in this system spawn in the marshes in the northern end of the Wolf River, but it’ll take them some time to make it through the winding stretches of river to get there. On their way up, you can catch Walleyes that are looking to eat a lot as they prepare to spawn. I target these fish by slowly dragging ned rigs on the bottom or by casting hair jigs with stinger hooks, which ensure you hook the fish even if it bites the tail end of the hair jig (This is common early in the season when the water is just barely above freezing temps).
After the Walleyes spawn in the marshes, they head back down the Wolf and many will make the journey all the way back to Lake Winnebago. These post-spawn fish are hungry after making the long journey, so this is a great time to catch them. The river can hold Walleye all over the place at this time, but I find my best success at the I-41 bridge over Lake Butte Des Morts as well as at the mouth of the Fox River in Oshkosh. I catch these fish by casting Rapala Rippin’ Raps to attract the most aggressive fish, and switch to vertically jigging a hair jig if they want something slower.
When the spawn is over, I catch a lot of my spring Walleye on the shallow rocks of Winnebago. This includes the tops of reefs, rocky shorelines, and the top of rocky points in the lake. The Walleyes will often hang around wind-blown shorelines as small baitfish, leeches, and crayfish will get pushed into these areas by the waves. My most effective techniques for these fish involve hopping Rippin’ Raps off the bottom to imitate a wounded baitfish, or casting and doing a similar retrieve with hair jigs. I try to match my bait color to the water clarity, using natural patterns on sunny days in clear water, and using bright neon patterns in dirty water and on cloudy days.
Whether it’s your first day of fishing or you’ve fished for years, it’s hard to argue with the notion that Bass are fun to catch. They fight great, and they’re fairly simple to fish for. To target them, you first have to decide if you want to catch Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass. Largemouth on these lakes will often hang out in shallow weeds in channels and bays, while Smallmouth can be found along shallow rocky shorelines and points. Casting and slowly dragging ned rigs along the bottom works great for both species in fairly clear water, with the ned rig being an effective imitator of crayfish that Bass feed on. This bait can be used in both deep and shallow water, and this flexibility is why I recommend it. If the water is dirty, I’ll use spinnerbaits which put off lots of vibration or brightly colored crankbaits.
If you haven’t yet tried fishing in the springtime on the Winnebago System, you’re missing out. Whatever species you want to catch, you have a great opportunity for it on this healthy fishery. To keep it that way, be mindful of the WI DNR rules and regulations and consider practicing catch and release on some of the chunky pre-spawn fish to ensure more plentiful fish populations for the future. If you’re in need of live bait or lures for your trip, stop in at Fish Tales in Oshkosh for bait and more fishing info. When you’re all done fishing for the day, stop in at Becket’s Restaurant in Oshkosh to fuel up for your next adventure.
Good Luck Fishing!
